Our Opinion: Local schools stand to lose in tax debate

Thursday’s State Journal-Register featured another sober reminder of the dire state of Illinois’ finances and how the problems trickle down to the local level.

State lawmakers are considering a permanent extension of a temporary state income tax hike that is set to expire in January. The tax was supposed to be a short-term measure to help the state clear out a backlog of overdue bills and dig itself out of debt.

In some people’s eyes, things haven’t gone as well as originally was hoped. The tax raised about $28 billion, of which $2 billion was used to pay down back bills, according to Rep. Wayne Rosenthal, R-Morrisonville. The state currently has more than $6 billion in overdue bills.

Rosenthal said he is opposed to making the tax permanent on the grounds that government leaders didn’t keep their promises that the tax would be temporary and the revenue used in a specific way.

His frustration, and that of other like-minded lawmakers, is understandable. A promise made is a promise kept, right?

However, Illinois is dealing with a mind-boggling amount of debt, the kind that has earned the state widespread notoriety and an unenviable No. 1 spot on all sorts of rankings of state governments with fiscal problems and pension debt. With so much financial pressure and so many pressing needs, it’s not hard to believe the tax revenue went toward expenses other than paying down back bills.

As lawmakers wrestle with the decision of whether to extend the temporary tax, they should consider the damage that will occur to entities farther down the line if the revenue abruptly disappears.

Chief among those entities that would be harmed are Illinois’ public schools, which rely on general state aid to help fund day-to-day operations and will be squeezed out even further should the temporary tax revenue go away. The state already is shorting them on funding.

District 186 in Springfield, for example, would receive $4 million less, according to figures provided by the Senate Democrats this week.

It was one month ago that the District 186 school board approved $5.5 million in cuts to make ends meet, partly because of ongoing underfunding by the state. The cuts affected teaching staff, librarians and technology. What would another $4 million in reductions look like? Most likely, fewer teachers, elimination of programs and more students in every classroom.

Rochester and Ball-Chatham school districts stand to lose about $1 million. PORTA School District, coming off an unsuccessful effort to merge with the A-C Central School District as a way to cope with financial pressure, would lose $413,000 in state aid. And Lincoln Community High School would lose about $433,000.

These are big losses for local school districts — losses that probably would be made up through additional painful reductions. Students suffer the most when teachers and programs are cut.

Page 2 of 2 - Lawmakers who want to dig in their heels about state spending have a point about accountability and the state living within its means.

But they also must remember the long-standing assurances the state of Illinois made to support public education and the repercussions of slashing millions of dollars from districts’ already strained budgets.